


To Lead is to Learn

by Leonardo_Charles_BlueWood_21



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Cole reassures Lloyd and gives him some life/leader-hacks, Cole's been there done that and here to help, Figured Lloyd deserved some love after I almost froze him to death in my last fic XD, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Insecurity, Kinda short but what'eve's, Leadership insecurities, Lloyd has a couple concerns about being leader, No Beta. We die like Garmadon, Platonic Relationships, What is a timeline? Certainly not something I know LOL, do not repost to another site, he's fine, wrote this in an hour
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:20:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26012512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leonardo_Charles_BlueWood_21/pseuds/Leonardo_Charles_BlueWood_21
Summary: Being Leader was... Terrifying. You were always worrying whether or not you made the decision, second guessing your own choices and never knowing if you were doing the right thing. In the moment you had to act completely sure of your decision but Lloyd never felt completely sure. He just felt scared he was going to make a mistake that would cost them something they wouldn't be able to get back.OrLloyd's having some doubts about leading and Cole's knows the feeling. They talk about it.
Relationships: Cole & Lloyd Garmadon
Comments: 14
Kudos: 98





	To Lead is to Learn

Lloyd heard him coming, which told him that the older ninja had been making an effort to be heard. The whole team’s footsteps were silent usually, the practice so ingrained and so much of a habit that it required conscious effort to do otherwise, so he knew Cole was attempting to give him time to piece himself together. 

There wasn’t much to piece together, really. He wasn’t crying or feeling sad, just… anxious, worried, maybe a little afraid. He really didn’t want to mess it up. 

“Hey,” Cole greeted, sitting down next to him on the edge of  _ the Destiny’s Bounty _ , and letting his legs hang over the edge, clouds brushing his covered toes. He leaned back on his palms so he could look up at the starry sky. 

“Hi,” Lloyd said back quietly, without looking at him. He didn’t bother moving from his semi-hunched over position. There wasn’t any reason to pretend nothing was wrong. Cole clearly already knew, there wasn’t much else of a reason for him to be out there at that time of night--or morning maybe, he wasn’t sure how long he’d been out under the stars--so he let himself worry and wallow. He didn’t feel like pretending everything was fine right now, so he wasn’t going to. 

They sat in silence for a moment, watching the scarce clouds and thousands of stars and constellations go by, and listening to the humming of the engine in the otherwise silent cool night air. 

“Being the leader kinda sucks,” Lloyd remarked. 

Cole huffed. “Yeah, it kinda does.” 

They fell into silence again and Lloyd tried not to hunch further in on himself. 

If anyone knew how he was feeling, it would be Cole. He might not have been the Green Ninja, but he had been the leader before Lloyd had come along. He might understand at least a little of what he was feeling. 

He wasn’t really sure how to approach the conversation, or if it was one he even wanted to have though. The weight in his chest and on his shoulders made it hard to breathe sometimes. He wasn’t sure if addressing it would help or make it worse. 

“How did you do it?” he finally asked into the night air. 

Cole was quiet for a moment so he continued. 

“How did you…” he fiddled with his fingers for a moment. “How did you lead without worrying you were gonna screw it up and get everyone hurt?” He released his fingers, letting his hands fall onto his lap and stared at them, his palms and digits seeming oddly unfamiliar and alien.

Cole laughed at that. “I didn’t.” 

Lloyd glanced at him and Cole offered him a weary smile, before sighing and sitting forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and looking out across the expanse below them. 

“I worried about that every day usually, and even afterwards. Some nights I’d just… lay awake wondering if I’d made the right decisions. A lot of the time, there always seemed to be a better one that I hadn’t seen.” 

Lloyd gave a choked laugh, thinking about the nights he spent the exact same way; thinking about how he’d been sitting on the airship’s deck since the other ninja had fallen asleep. “Yeah.” 

Cole smiled, more out of acknowledgement than actual humour. “That part never changes.” 

Lloyd wiped harshly at the unexpected tears in his eyes. 

“You do get better at thinking faster, but... what we do, it’s a pretty high pressure job and that can make it hard to think sometimes,” he grimaced a little and Lloyd huffed in humourless agreement. “You're bound to make less than ideal choices.” He said softly. He paused for a moment, then shrugged giving him a wry smile. 

“Besides, there’s always some better choice or course of action that you didn’t see in the moment, that’s just how life is. You can’t really live by dwelling on the past and what you could have done better. You do your best in the moment and that’s all you can really do.” He looked back out at the stars. “Learn from your mistakes, but don’t dwell on them.” 

Lloyd took a shaky breath, tilting his head up to the sky. “How do you deal with the pressure?” 

Cole was silent for long enough that he risked a glance over to him. 

The older boy was smiling softly down at the clouds, his hair ruffling slightly in the cool breeze. He finally looked at Lloyd, his soft smile remaining. “I had help.” 

He reached over and Lloyd stared down at the comforting hand he had placed on his lap, the warmth seeping through the fabric of his gi, reminding him that he was cold from sitting outside so long. 

“You have a team for a reason, Lloyd.” 

He looked up at him and Cole offered him a supportive smile before looking down again, a distant look in his eye as though remembering something special. 

“A team is more than just the leader. A team supports one another and helps each other when things get tough. You’re not alone in this. They’re always gonna be there for you.” His gaze saddened for a moment. “Yes, there’s always gonna be some hard decisions you’re gonna have to make on your own, and they might hurt someone and you might regret them later, but no matter what happens, we’re here for you, Lloyd.” 

Lloyd’s heart felt like it was lodged in his throat and Cole looked at him again with a smile that felt more real. 

“Anytime you wanna talk about this kind of stuff, I’m here for you buddy. I was in your shoes and I won’t know everything, but I want to help you. That’s what I’m here for.” He paused before amending. “That’s what  _ we _ are here for.” 

“I really don’t wanna mess this up,” Lloyd confessed in a tearful whisper. 

“You won’t,” Cole said with a confidence he could only dream of. “But even if you do, you’ve just got to accept that, you may be the green ninja, but you’re still human. We’re all still learning and we’re all making mistakes. You just can’t let your worst moments shape who you are.” 

“But what if I  _ really _ mess up?” 

“Then we’ll all be here to help you fix it,” Cole told him with a nod and a smile that felt like a promise. 

Lloyd swallowed the lump in his throat and wiped his eyes again, clearing it of any tears that had escaped before letting his arm fall back onto his lap. 

“I’m here anytime you need me, kid,” Cole said back, wrapping his warm arm around his shoulder and pulling him into a side hug. 

Lloyd laughed a little and gave him a watery smirk. “You know I’m almost your age, right?” 

“We can’t know that for sure,” Cole said with a teasing grin, ruffling his hair. “You’ll always be a little squirt in my heart.” 

Lloyd laughed and Cole released him, letting him push him away, laughing too. 

Lloyd gave an exhale, leaning back against his hands, his smile lingering on his face and his chest feeling a little lighter as he watched the stars and clouds. 

“Thanks, Cole.” 

“Like I said, Lloyd,” he smiled at him softly. “Anytime.” 

He was still the leader, the expectations hadn’t changed, there were still decisions he would have to make and mistakes he feared, but… 

Somehow, it didn’t seem quite as daunting as before. 

They sat on the edge of the Bounty, watching the stars until the sun peeked out over the horizon, warming Lloyd’s chilled skin. He smiled. And, in the light of the dawn, he allowed himself to think that maybe everything would be okay. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Does this count as fluff? Meh, I'm callin' it fluff. 
> 
> I figure Lloyd would talk to Cole about leading and stuff a couple of times since he used to be the Leader. They'd probably share a lot of the same fears and worries and I'm all for vibin with your bro and getting support. 
> 
> Drop a comment if you feel so inclined 
> 
> Edit: ART   
>  https://ninja-knox-ur-sox-off.tumblr.com/post/626990924508069888/to-lead-is-to-learn


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